


Spider-Man: A New World

by kornerbrandon



Series: Spider-Man and The Protectors Trilogy [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Many battle scenes, May be slightly OOC, One year after Homecoming, Reunions, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2018-12-07 05:39:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11617053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kornerbrandon/pseuds/kornerbrandon
Summary: One year on from his battle with Adrian Toomes and 3 months after the resurrection a the end of the Infinity War, Peter Parker tries to balance his superhero life with his normal life as best as possible, with mixed results. But Peter has come into contact with something on Titan; and it's beginning to affect his personality. To make matters worse, he's about to face his deadliest enemy yet.And one that has no compunctions about killing him . . .





	1. New Year, New Friends

" . . . it was insane Ned, you have no idea." Peter said excitedly. He'd spent the summer at the Avengers headquarters in upstate New York, and was still raving about how awesome it was to Ned and May. He'd trained with mainly Black Widow while he was there; Tony Stark had judged their fighting styles both to be agility-based, so he'd paired them for training. The two had an instant rapport, and he'd learnt a lot from the ex-spy. 

"Your aunt couldn't have been too happy about though, right?" Ned asked.

"Well she was really upset when she first found out, but I think she's accepted it now. I mean, she's still not happy about it, but yeah, she just accepts it. Partially, I think, because she knows that if she tries to stop me, it's only going to make me do it more." Peter explained. It was true; May was extremely angry and upset when she first saw Peter in his Spider-Man suit that day, but after a long discussion, she'd accepted Peter's decision. She more or less said 'It's your own life Peter, just don't get in any more situations like with that Vulture guy.'

"Well that's good." Ned replied.

"Hey losers." Came a familiar voice. The two turned their heads to see Michelle sitting down opposite them. One of the things that had changed was that Michelle, or MJ as they called her, had joined them in their circle of friends. At first, they were reluctant to call each other friends, but that had passed now.

"Hey MJ. I was just telling Ned about the summer I spent at Tony Stark's-" Peter began.

"Okay, I'll stop you right there Pete. Ned's already heard the story a thousand times and I don't need to hear one about a corporate gun seller." MJ said.

"He doesn't sell guns anymore!" Peter defended. MJ just shrugged and stuck her head in her book. Again. "What are you reading this time?" He asked. MJ promptly moved her hands slightly to reveal the cover of  _Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In_ by Bernie Sanders. "Again? Didn't you already volunteer for him?"

"Hey, at least I was doing something that would make the world better. What's your excuse?" She snarked back. Peter chuckled slightly. Typical MJ. He turned to face Ned, but his friend's attention was elsewhere.

"Hey, Ned. You there? Earth to Ned." Peter said, waving his hand in front of his friend's face. Following Ned's gaze, his eyes landed on a boy with black hair and blue eyes. Nothing seemed out of place on him. Peter viewed him with suspicion. "Who's that?"

"Dude, you need to watch the news some more. That's Harry Osborn." Ned explained, gesturing at the boy.

"Wait, the Governor's son?" Peter asked.

"Yeah."

"And yet Governor Norman Osborn didn't endorse Bernie, I noticed." MJ piped up. Ned and Peter just laughed in response as Harry approached them.

"Hey, I don't mean to sound rude, but that Flash guy is kind of an asshole." Harry said.

"I like you already." MJ said, her eyes not leaving her book.

"You guys mind if I sit with you? I mean, you seem okay enough and I don't really want to sit on my own." Harry asked. Peter gestured to the seat opposite him and Harry promptly set his own lunch tray down.

"So you're really the Governor's son?" Ned asked. Harry laughed in response.

"You know, you're the first person who's noticed today. I'm Harry Osborn."

"Peter Parker. This is Ned Leeds and Michelle Jones. We just call her MJ." Peter said.

"Can I call you MJ?" Harry asked.

"We'll see." Was the reply, with MJ again not looking up from her book. The four ate in silence for a while before Peter, sensing that it was becoming uncomfortable for Harry, decided to get a conversation going, wanting to make the new kid feel more at home.

"So what's it like being the son of the guy who runs the state?" He asked.

"It's alright. I mean, it does have its perks, but to be honest, I'm not a fan of all the damn media attention. Especially Jameson's  _Daily Bugle_. Those guys never go away. Then there's all the crap he prints about Spider-Man, which is just out there to discredit the guy." Harry explained. That got Peter and Ned's attention. It got MJ's too, but she just covertly listened, turning over another page.

"You're a fan of Spider-Man?" Ned asked.

"Fan might be overstating it. It's more that I don't mind him more than anything. Same with dad. Point is, Spider-Man's eased the strain on not just the city police here, but also the State Police. It's been making my dad's job regarding law enforcement a hell of a lot easier. Plus, the public loves Spider-Man, so if my dad wants to stay Governor, he has to support him." Harry continued. Peter, for once, did a good job of maintaining a poker face, but internally, he was jumping for joy. 

The three began to get into in-depth conversations about Star Wars and other nerd stuff (As MJ so eloquently called it), which lasted until the end of lunch. The four began to wander to class (they all had the same English class), with Harry still trying to find his bearings around the school. Eventually they arrived and began filing into the room, sitting at the four desks near the front. 

"Now class, we have a new student with us today, his name is Harry Osborn and he's the son of Governor Osborn, so let's make him feel welcome." The teacher started as a few gasps and claps were heard. "We also have a returning student because her new school didn't work out for her. Let's welcome back Liz Allan!"

The four turned around, seeing Liz seated near the back.

Everyone had different thoughts. Harry was looking at the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Ned was happy to see her back. Michelle frowned, admittedly, she was somewhat unhappy Liz had returned. Then there was Peter. he was happy to see her back, but did he still have is crush on her? He couldn't answer.

But Liz Allan was back in New York.


	2. A Welcome (Or Unwelcome?) Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad with the response to this story so far. Let's press on!

Liz gave a nervous wave to the rest of the class. Yes, she was incredibly nervous about being back in New York, but she thought it was ultimately for the best. She and her mother hadn't exactly fit in well over in Oregon, especially after some of the things her father had done came to light. It enraged both her and her mother enough to legally change their names from Toomes to Allan and move back to New York, and it would be false to say it wasn't partially out of spite, to be perfectly honest. She could still remember that conversation they'd had with her father just after he'd been imprisoned.

* * *

_"Jane, Liz. It's good to see you." He said._

_"Cut the crap Adrian. We know what you did. You sold weapons to criminals. That was how you paid for the move to that nice house, wasn't it?" His wife started. Liz could see his face drop at her words, no that either Liz or her mother cared. He'd done wrong._

_"I only did that after Stark pushed me out of a job. He never cares what he does to anyone-"_

_"Does that give you the excuse to start selling alien weapons to criminals?"_

_"Stark did the exact same thing."_

_"Maybe, but he's actually stopped that now. You also nearly killed a guy who saved your life. How do you feel about that?" Her mother asked. Now that did cut deep; Liz could see it etched on her father's face._

_"I . . ."_

_"Apparently you know who he is as well. We heard it on the news that his mask was found abandoned where you were found."_

_"No. I don't know who he is." Her father said simply. At that point, the guard herded him off back to his cell as the mother and daughter left the prison_

* * *

 

The class flew by fairly fast with Liz concentrating furiously, but not entirely on the teacher. One of them was Peter. Yeah, she still held his abandonment of her at homecoming against him, but all in all, he was different from the guys she'd dated in the past, and the two had stayed in something resembling contact. Maybe once a week texting, sometimes once a month. Peter was usually really occupied. With what, she didn't know; school didn't take up that much of Peter's time, surely.

Regardless she'd found herself regarding the young man in a new light. She couldn't deny that his face gave him a certain boyish charm that most guys tended to lack, and she'd be lying to herself if she said she hadn't developed a tiny crush on him.

In her case, absence really did make her heart grow fonder.

The other thing was the look Michelle had given her. Granted, she'd never really known Michelle to be anything but snarky and sarcastic, but the look she'd given her when the teacher announced that she was back was pure venom. It was a look of complete disdain. Why? Liz had a few ideas. She'd noticed that Michelle, despite how well she'd hidden it, had been smitten with peter for years, but was using her snarkiness to, as Liz thought, mask her true feelings. 

Then there was the new kid. Harry Osborn. She did a quick mental check, and remembered that Harry was the son of Governor Norman Osborn; the man who may have been Hillary Clinton's pick for Treasury Secretary, considering that he was also the CEO of Oscorp, possibly one of the richest corporations in the world, only truly rivaled by Stark Industries. Looking at Harry now, she couldn't deny the boy was attractive. Whether it was his jet black hair or piercing blue eyes or his easy smile, she couldn't tell. 

But her heart was with Peter.

MJ on the other hand, was not impressed. True, she wasn't over the moon to see Liz go, so why was she annoyed that she had returned? She couldn't put her finger on it. Was it something to do with Peter? No, that was stupid; Peter was her friend. I mean sure, he was a total dork, but he was still her friend. If she was just her friend, then why was MJ getting so annoyed? She couldn't figure it out. All she knew was that Peter had a huge crush on Liz, and that the thought of Peter's crush made her a little insecure.  _Pull it together, MJ; this isn't you_

The rest of the day went by quickly as well. Liz spent time talking to various people in the school, trying to catch up on what she'd missed. Because her grades weren't that great, she was forced to repeat the year. Of particular interest was the discover that Peter had successfully landed a job interview at a certain newspaper.

" . . . that's amazing, Peter!" she gushed.

"Not really. Apparently I only got the interview because Jameson was disappointed with the other people who'd applied. Not that I'm complaining. It'd be nice to have some spare money left over for myself." Peter replied. The two were currently standing near Peter's locker, the day having concluded with everyone getting ready to go home. Ned had already left to get some homework done. Unfortunately, MJ chose this moment to round the corner. 

"Hey, loser." She said, getting Peter's attention.

"Oh, hey MJ." He replied. The most startling part was that this time, that was all he said. Normally he launched into some detailed rambling about the new Star Wars movie or the newest Doctor Who episode. This time, he went straight back to talking to Liz, even if he was tripping over his words slightly. MJ almost felt hurt by this for some reason. She was Peter's friend, right? Yet here was this girl who'd returned after a year and she already had Peter's undivided attention.

Soon though, Liz was waving goodbye and leaving. Peter kept staring at her as she walked away though. Exasperated, MJ snapped her fingers in front of Peter's face to get his attention. "Hey, Parker, we have that paired assignment for history, remember?" She asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right, of course. Sorry." He stammered. MJ rolled her eyes and left the school, the two heading for the local library where they could study quietly, or at least MJ had decided that it would be the best place; Peter more or less just went along with whatever MJ decided for the most part. He was much too terrified to try and defy her.  _Funny,_ he thought,  _I'm a kid who can stop a truck with his bare hands, yet I'm still scared to death of MJ._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, a somewhat abrupt end, but I had a much longer chapter written out only for my computer to crash and delete most of my work. Don't you just love technology?
> 
> Anyway, next chapter, we're introduced to Jameson, we get the first Spider-Man scenes for this story (woo-hoo!), and a nefarious plot begins to take shape . . .


	3. Out and About

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I had a crisis of confidence, but I'm back. So, who's ready to meet J. Jonah Jameson?

Peter sat outside the office of J. Jonah Jameson in the  _Daily Bugle_ headquarters in New York. He had to admit, he was a little nervous. Jameson had a bit of a reputation throughout New York City as very no-nonsense and sometimes harsh. As if to punctuate Peter's thoughts, the door to the  _Bugle's_ editor-in-chief slammed open and a boy slightly older than Peter rushed out of the room. "I don't want your damn lemons, I want pictures of Spider-Man!" Shouted a gravelly voice inside the office, pelting a lemon at the boy's head as he hurried away. A moment later, a man with a flattop haircut, toothbrush mustache and cigar stepped out of the office. The man then removed the cigar from his mouth and pointed it at Peter. "You! What's your name and why are you here?"

"Um, Parker, sir. Peter Parker, I'm her for the interview for-"

"Parker, right, step into my office, please." Jameson said, bringing Peter into the office. "Right, so you're here about the photography job, right?"

"Yes sir." Peter replied. Jameson saw that the young man was tapping his foot on the floor rapidly. Now, Jameson might have had a reputation as a person who could be very harsh to his employees at times, but he more than understood the young man's nervousness, and decided to try and calm the lad a little.

"Parker, it's okay. I'm just going to ask you a few questions and you answer them as best you can, okay?" He said. Peter notably relaxed a little at this.

The interview carried on for about an hour or so, with Jameson asking mostly standard question, before firing a few unexpected ones his way. Thankfully, Peter was able to finesse his way through most of the difficult questions. However, then Jameson threw a real curveball his way.

"What is your opinion of Spider-Man?" Jamseon asked. That did take Peter by surprise. He knew that Jameson was no fan of his alter-ego; in fact, he was the one responsible for all the negative stuff about Spider-Man that had been making the rounds in the papers.

"Um . . . my opinion . . . my opinion is different from yours, sir." Peter said, treading as carefully as possible. Jameson raised an eyebrow at this.

"How so?"

"Well sir . . . I think he's a hero, sir. It's no secret that crime has gone down all over the city, not to mention he stopped that Vulture guy from selling alien guns to people." Peter explained. Jameson looked at Peter silently, cigar still in his mouth. Peter was beyond nervous now. The next few seconds would determine if he had a future at the  _Bugle_. Then, abruptly, Jameson burst into laughter. Peter was taken aback by this, unsure how to react.

"Son, there's a lot of people here who share the same opinion. I say he's a menacing influence on our society and is encouraging reckless behavior in our youngsters. They start doing what he does, and BAM!" He slammed his hand down on his desk for effect, making Peter jump. "Youth deaths all over the city. That said, we have our differences of opinion." Jamseon said, looking over the resume in front of him one last time as Peter looked on. "What, you're still here? Get out. I'll call you later and let you know." Jameson said gruffly. Peter did so, leaving the building. For yet another time, Peter was overjoyed. Hopefully he'd done well enough to get the job.

* * *

10 PM that night found Peter swinging around Queens on his way home. He'd already done his nightly patrol around the entire city; having stopped a mugging and taken a cat out of a tree.  _Slow night,_ he thought. Perhaps Spider-Man and scared the city's criminal population into staying home or something? Were they scared of him? Were people actually scared of him?

That was something Peter didn't want to think about.

As he approached May's apartment, he heard shouting coming from another apartment building. Ever curious, Peter decided to investigate. He fired a web and swung to the building, sticking to the side as he'd always done, and pressed is ear to the wall.  _Damn it, still can't hear anything._ "Karen, does this suit have anything that can boost or focus hearing?"

"Activating enhanced sonic sensors now." Karen responded; always one step ahead. Peter began to listen intently.

". . . no excuse, young lady! Your curfew is 8:30 sharp! Why were you home late!?" Shouted a distinctly male voice.

"I already told you dad, I was at the shelter!" Came another one.  _Wait a minute._ Peter thought,  _that sounds like MJ_. He shifted his position slightly to see that it was MJ, arguing with a big man who must've been her father.

"That's your excuse for everything, Michelle! I don't believe it for one second!"

"Dad, for once in your life, can you just believe something I say?!" MJ shouted back. Her father's face contorted with rage, and he slapped MJ across the face with such force that she was knocked to the ground. Peter noticed her sobbing slightly on the ground while a terrified woman was crying in the corner and a small boy, about 12, ran over to MJ to see if she was okay. Okay, no one hit MJ and got away with it on Peter's watch, not even her father. He opened the apartment window and slipped inside as stealthily as possible. Not that it took much effort; the father was still screaming abuse at MJ and the boy, as well as the crying woman who Peter guessed was her mother.

"Hey buddy!" Peter called out, causing the father to look at him with anger in his eyes. "Didn't mommy ever tell you never to hit girls?" he quipped. The father roared with rage, and swung at Peter, who dodged by flipping to the side. He then promptly fired a web at the father's ankles, binding them and causing him to trip over, before Peter did to same to his hands. "Gotta blast!" He said to the family, leaping out the window and swinging away.

In the apartment meanwhile, MJ was more than a little suspicious. Being the observant (and totally not obsessed) person she was, she had suspected that there was some sort of connection between Peter and Spider-Man for a while; the voice sounded familiar, and the two were never in the same place at the same time. Damn it, she needed proof though, and she sure as hell was going to find it. 

And hell, at least Spider-Man had taught her deadbeat father a lesson that he had coming.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment below if you picked up the Portal reference.
> 
> Also, I'm aware that my portrayal of Jameson is not exactly as he was in the Raimi movies or as he is most of the time. However, some writers have portrayed him as obnoxious but caring towards his employees, integrity with his journalism (something that's always present in nearly every version of him), and whose anti-Spider-Man campaign comes from the worry that youth will try to emulate him. Again, it's not nearly as common, but it's the version i'm going with because I wanted to make him more sympathetic.


	4. Teenage Scheming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my absence. Been kinda busy.

The previous night's actions had left Peter exhausted. Unfortunately, the weekend was still a few days away, so he was up early, as usual. After breakfast, he realised he was running slightly late, so he grabbed whatever school-related items he could find and stuffed them into his bag before darting through the apartment building and onto the street, narrowly avoiding knocking over an old woman in the process. He exited the building to find a distinctly unimpressed MJ looking at him. 

"You're late, Parker." She said, not even bothering to look up from her book.

"I had a busy night." Peter defended. Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. And unless we start moving, we're going to be late, now let's go." He said. Since they had found out they lived fairly close together, Peter and MJ had been walking to school together. THis only made things murkier at school regarding their relationship. Indeed, many people were convinced that they were dating in secret, but these people couldn't be more wrong. Peter Parker and Michelle Jones had absolutely no romantic feelings for each other. At all. 100% no romantic attachment. 

I tell a lie; of course they did. However, neither of them asked the other out for fear that their feelings wouldn't be reciprocated.

"Hey guys."  Ned said as they approached him.

"Hey Ned." They responded simultaneously

"Okay, guys, you're not gonna be able to convince people you aren't dating if you keep doing that." He said. Peter and MJ groaned.

"Ned, we're not dating." Peter replied.

"Yeah, why would I be dating this loser?" She asked rhetorically, pointing at Peter.

"I know you're not dating, and so does everyone who's been paying attention, but you're not doing much to convince everyone else." He said. As if to illustrate his point, a couple of girls walking past at that moment shot Michelle dirty looks. A few months ago, after Peter had turned up at school with a few jagged scars on his arms (and after everyone's worst fears had been allayed), many of the Midtown High schoolgirls had taken a closer look at Peter, and many of them liked what they saw, and MJ, being Peter's closest female friend, was the target of dirty looks from pretty much the school's entire female population.

"Ned, we know we're not dating, and that's good enough for us." Peter said. Of course, harry chose this moment to walk up to them.

"So you're not dating then?" He asked.

"NO!" Peter and MJ shouted, causing a few heads to turn their way. Harry laughed.

"Relax, you guys. I kinda thought that you weren't, but now I know for certain." He said.

"At least someone believes us. Even if it is another loser." MJ deadpanned.

"Yeah well this loser's the son of the most powerful man in the state of New York." 

"I didn't know you were part of the Orange Overlord's family."

"I mean the most powerful  _respected_ man in the state of New York." Harry said. He and MJ stared intensely at each other for a few more seconds before their faces broke into easy laughter. Peter smiled; it was rare to see MJ make friends with someone so quickly.

* * *

Liz was actually looking forward to seeing Peter in the next period. She was hoping that he wouldn't be too engaged, but seeing as it was chemistry, she'd be unlikely to get his attention at all. After class was probably a safer bet. She'd approach him then and maybe flirt with him a little and-

"Ned, are you sure this is a good idea?" She heard someone say around a corner. She didn't know that Ned had a free period now. She decided to keep walking; hopefully they wouldn't notice her.

"Yes, Harry, I'm sure. Well, actually I'm not, but come on, you've seen the way they look at each other." She heard ned say. So it was ned and Harry. It sounded like they were planning something too. She pressed herself against the wall and slid up to the edge to hear what they were saying better.

"Well, you're right there. Peter lights up like a Christmas tree everytime she walks into a room." She heard harry say. Her heart soared. Did Peter really react like that when he saw her?

"Don't tell me you're some cheesy romantic, Harry Osborne."

"Ned, whose idea was it to even put this plan together?" Harry asked. Silence.

"Okay, point taken. But are you in on this or not?" 

She could hear Harry sigh. "Fine, but you are gonna owe me big-time for this, Leeds."

"No problem, man."

She smiled to herself and began to walk away, but caught the last part of their conversation.

"We just need to get MJ and Peter to admit it in a way neither of them can take back." She heard Ned say. Her heart sank. They were talking about getting Peter and Michelle together. Was that why Michelle had been shooting her those venomous looks since she'd been back?

_Well obviously, you idiot_ _!_ She thought. Well, if Ned and Harry wanted to get Michelle and Peter together, they were going to learn how an Allan woman could get her man.

She smiled deviously to herself, a dastardly plan forming in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So thank you for reading. Leave kudos and comments if you liked it. See ya folks!


	5. Vendettas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I'm not dead. Hopefully I can write some more now that I have time off from Uni.
> 
> You'll probably have noticed that I set this after Infinity War now. Some of you might be wondering why no one remembers it, but why Peter remembers the final battle with Thanos. Well, this will be addressed at some point in the story.

Eddie Brock sat at the bar, downing what was his . . . was it his fourth or fifth drink? He couldn't remember and he didn't care. This seemed like it happened every day; more bad news piled on yesterday's bad news; he couldn't get a break. He looked down at his legs; or rather the stumps of what had once been his legs.

If you'd looked at Eddie Brock now, you would see a tired, beaten-down, middle-aged man who, when he wasn't drunk had a permanent scowl on his face. Yet, if you'd looked at the Eddie Brock of the 1990s, you wouldn't guess they were the same person. Back then, Eddie had been a young, fit US Air Force combat pilot flying missions over Bosnia commanded by Colonel Carol Danvers and Major Everett Ross. He had a promising career ahead of him.

Then Danvers was shot down.

They never found her body, but nobody could've survived that crash. Eddie believed that Danvers had been incinerated on impact. It was especially devestating for Eddie because Danvers had been a mentor figure for him and he suddenly found himself with only Ross for guidance. Even that didn't last long though; just after the Invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Ross was seconded to the CIA and Eddie found himself without a guiding figure.

In 2016, Eddie was flying on an air strike against an ISIS convoy when he himself was shot down. When US Special Forces pulled him from the wreckage of his jet, they had to amputate his legs so that they could move him. Of course, it was only after he'd been discharged that he discovered that a lot of the surface-to-air missiles being used in the Middle East had been supplied to the Iraqi Army a long time ago by Stark Industries. This had left a really bitter taste in his mouth.

Of course, there wasn't much an ex-Air Force Captain could do. He'd been watching Stark reinvent himself as someone who was moving the world forward and keeping it safe and laughed ironically at the whole situation. The man was a pathological liar who'd do anything and say anything to get himself more power. The Department of Damage Control was a prime example of that. What a joke that was. The man was still trying to get his hands on alien weapons, even after he'd supposedly stopped building them.

 

_One day, he'll get what's coming to him,_ Eddie though, as he hauled himself into his wheelchair. 

* * *

Peter had the weekend free, for once, and had decided to spend the weekend at the Avengers Compound in upstate New York. After all, he was badly in need of rest; Friday night patrol had nearly seen him pass out from exhaustion. He had to admit, he had been feeling a lot more tired since the final battle with Thanos, and sleep had eluded him for some time. There seemed to be agiant gap in his memory from the battle of Titan to the final battle, it was like . . . he didn't remember anything.

Currently, he was sitting on a couch in the main room, watching Star Wars on his laptop when the newest addition to the Avengers entered.

"Hey, Peter." The woman in question said. This woman was Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel. She had led the Avengers in the final battle against Thanos, the one that had, tragically, resulted in the death of Captain America.

"Oh, hey Ms Danvers." Peter said excitedly. He was still in awe of the Avengers, and the fact that he was a part of them now. "Where's Mr Stark? I mean, I know he retired, but-"

"Tony's in New York City to hold a fundraiser for Pepper. You know what it's been like since he retook control of Stark Industries." Carol said. Peter nodded. When Tony had retired from the Avengers, he'd taken up his old spot as Stark Industries CEO at Pepper's request. She on the other hand had leveraged her business smarts into a campaign for Governor of New York. Privately, Peter was a little sorry for Harry; going up against someone like Pepper was going to be brutal. "So, how's your girlfriend?" She asked.

Peter sat bolt upright. "Wh . . . what?"

"Your girlfriend. You talk about that Michelle girl all the time." Carol replied, a smirk slowly crossing her face.

"MJ? S-she's not my g-girlfriend. We're just . . . friends. Yeah, just friends." He stuttered out.

"If you want my opinion, and that's rhetorical, no one talks about someone else as much as you talk about her wihout dating." Her smirk grew.

"C'mon, Carol. I get enough of this from Sam." Peter replied.

"Alright, I'll let you off the hook . . . for now."

"I'll take what I can get." He deadpanned. Carol laughed and started boiling water for coffeeas Peter went back to his movie. Before long though, a Skype call came through. Naturally, Peter answered.

"Hey loser." Were the first words he heard as MJ's face filled the screen.

"Hey MJ!" Peter replied happily. "Is this about the history assignment?"

"Yeah, it is. I know you're busy with your intership and everything, but we still need to get it done."

"Well, I'm actually on break for now. We can do a bit if you want." Peter offered. MJ shrugged.

"Sure. Just make sure you're at Decathlon Monday. No flaking. Liz might've put up with it, but I won't. Not to mention you're basically doing orientation for the new student next week."

"Yes ma'am!" Peter said, giving a little salute, and he swore that the corners of MJ's mouth ticked up a little. Carol took this as her cue and quietly left the room, coffee in hand. Since returning to Earth and assuming leadership of the Avengers, this was one of the few pleasures she allowed herself. She smiled as she left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so we get to see Captain Marvel (I can't wait for her movie next year) as well as Eddie's vendetta. I should explain, I've merged the original Eddie Brock with the Agent Venom/Flash Thompson version. In the comic, Flash became a disabled war veteran struggling to get by when he bonded with the symbiote and became Agent Venom. Thing is, the MCU Flash Thompson is vastly different from his comic counterpart, so I've effectively given that backstory to Eddie.
> 
> Also, the new student is not Harry. No, the new student is a girl, and if you can guess it, I'll give you a shoutout next chapter. Here's a couple of hints: 
> 
> 1) It's not Gwen Stacy or anyone like that.  
> 2) She's a total Avengers fangirl, and of Captain Marvel in particular.


	6. The New (Fan)girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, welcome to the introduction of one of my favourite Marvel characters, Kamala Khan. This was successfully guessed by DrEmpen. She'll attain her powers partway through this story.

Peter, MJ and Ned's usual walk to school saw them accompanied by Harry and Liz on the Monday. MJ was still giving Liz the evil eye, Harry was still staring at Liz like a lovesick puppy, and and Liz was still talking to Peter as much as possible. The five made an unusual group as they headed into the school before saying goodbye to Liz. Thing was, because Liz had moved around a lot, she had missed a fair bit of school and had essentially enrolled to repeat her senior year, and hopefully do it without a relative who turned out to be a villain wearing a high-powered wingsuit.

"MJ, you know anything about this new girl?" Peter asked. He knew asking Harry would be a bit pointless, considering he'd only started a week before.

"Not really." Was her simple response, though it came out quite forcefully. Peter frowned.

"I heard she came here from Jersey City." Ned said, prompting a collective groan from the four New Yorkers.

"I have to show a Jerseyite around?" Peter said.

"Hey, you volunteered." Ned provided, prompting a death glare from Peter as he made his way to Principal Morita's office. As he entered, he noticed a dark-skinned girl sitting patiently on the chair opposite the Principal.

"Peter, have a seat." Morita said, gesturing to the seat. Peter did so. "Peter Parker, this is Kamala Khan. She just moved her from Jersey City and since Abraham showed around Harry, it's your turn to show around a new student. You've got most of the morning to do so, just remember to do any catch-up work you miss. I don't want you getting yourself into the hole you did last year. Granted, you did a heck of a job getting yourself out of it, but having been there myself, I know how stressful it is."

"Um, Mr Principal sir-" Kamala started.

"Morita, Kamala. Mr Morita."

"Mr Morita, I can find my own way around, I'm sure Peter has classes to get to-"

"No, I can do it." Peter cut her off. "But we should get going now."  He said, gesturing towards the door. Kamala, a little reluctantly, walked out of the office, with Peter close behind. "Why didn't you want me to show you around?" he asked.

"Oh, it's not that i didn't want to be shown around, it's that . . . well, I'm Muslim, so . . . um . . ."

"People have been awful to you?" Peter asked. Kamala gave a little nod. "No need to worry. My best friend's from the Philippines, so you won't get any bigotry from me." He said. Kamala smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Peter." She said. Peter led her through the corridors, pointing out the different rooms as they went past them.

" . . . And here are the physics and chemistry labs, my favourite places in the school." Peter said proudly.

"I've always been more into English than science." Kamala responded.

"You and MJ will get along well then." He responded, a goofy grin crossing his face. He was quickly warming up to this girl.

"MJ?"

"Michelle Jones." Peter explained. Kamala nodded.

"So is that it, or . . ." She trailed off.

"Eh, mostly. Can I see your schedule?" He asked. She nodded and gave it to him. "Well, we both have free periods now. We can go to the library if you want?" 

"Yeah, sure!" She beamed. The two made their way to the library and quickly found Harry, who waved them over. MJ and Ned were currently in their biology class.

"Kamala Khan, meet Harry Osborn." Peter said.

"Wait, Harry Osborn? As in the son of the Governor?" Kamala asked.

"The one and the same." Harry replied, shaking her hand. 

"This is . . . really surreal." She said, taking a seat. "First I move to another state, now I meet the son of the state's Governor."

"It is a crazy first day. What was it like leaving New Jersey?" Peter asked.

"Well, I was an outcast there, so the only two people I really miss from there are my friends Nakia and Bruno. Not really much else to say." She said, taking out her laptop, letting out a subdued squeal after a few seconds. 

"What?" Harry asked.

"My Avengers fanfic just got is 1,000th upvote!" She said excitedly.

"You're a superhero fan?" Peter asked. Kamala nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, big time! The Avengers are, like, my number 1 heroes in the universe."

"Who's your favourite Avenger?" Harry asked.

"Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel AKA the greatest Avenger ever!" Kamala responded quickly. "God, it would be amazing to be her." She said, a dreamy sigh escaping her lips.

"Peter here has an internship with Tony Stark." Harry said smirking. 

"Really? That's so cool! You know Iron Man personally? That's awesome! And Black Widow and Ronin?! Please, please, please tell me you met Captain Marvel!" Kamala said at about a million miles an hour. Peter looked like a deer in headlights, much to Harry's amusement.

"Um . . . I don't see them that often . . . I see Spiderman a bit more because he's, y'know, lower level and all that, but-"

"You met Spiderman?! That's so freaking cool! Spiderman is so awesome as well! My Spiderman and Shuri fanfic is my most upvoted story ever!" She said excitedly. Peter nearly spat out some of the water he'd been drinking at that. People actually thought him and Shuri made a good couple? I mean yeah, they got along, but . . . well . . . Peter didn't exactly have time for his personal feelings lately.

"How do you know Spiderman's even Shuri's age?" Harry asked. "He could be in his 30s." 

_Oh, if only you knew, Harry._

"Come one, Harry. Tony Stark did and interview and I could hear Spiderman talking to him. No 30 year old has a voice that high." She responded.

Peter had another near-spit take before he regained his composure.

"You write fanfiction?" He managed to ask.

"Uh,  _yes._ I'm obsessed with the Avengers and I write stories about them.  _Inshallah,_ I'll meet them some day." She said, smiling. 

"Right, well, we'd better get to class, the free period's nearly over. If I remember things right, you've got chem now, right?" Peter asked.

"Yeah."

"So do I. We should get going though, Mr Neil's pretty harsh on latecomers." He said. The to said their goodbyes to Harry and started walking to class.

_Yeah, she might be a fangirl,_  Peter thought,  _but she seems pretty cool._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inshallah translates to "God willing".
> 
> Also, I should say that the last line is not meant as an attack on fangirls or fanboys. I myself am the latter. However, I do imagine that the Avengers would get a little exasperated with their in-universe fans at times.


	7. What Happened Last Night?

"What is it Bruce? Pepper's got a rally tomorrow." Tony said, a little exasperated at being called into the Avengers lab at such an early hour. Pepper was due to have a meeting with the New York City Mayor Martin Li at around midday followed by a rally in the evening and he did not fancy being up at 11 at night, not to mention that he was finally beginning to catch up on the sleep he'd been losing for a long time.

"Tony, remember when you told me to analyse everything you brought back from Titan?" Bruce asked. Things had change for Bruce as well; he had learnt how to control the Hulk now, to the extent that he still possessed his intellect when transformed. Tony had taken to calling the Other Guy 'Professor Hulk', and it had stuck.

"Yeah, of course. Why?"

"I discovered something . . . strange when analysing Peter's suit. It appears something hitched a ride back with him when you picked him up."

"What do you mean 'hitched a ride?'" Tony asked, worry now evident in his voice.

"Exactly that. I picked up some strange readings at the time but didn't think about it much. Going back to look at it again, I'm seeing two organic life signatures from the suit." bruce said, looking at Tony.

"Two?! But Peter was the only one wearing the suit!"

"Not according to this. Two organic forms on the suit when it came back." Bruce confirmed. Tony ran his hand through his hair. He might've retired from the superhero business, but the Avengers were still his responsibility; they relied on him for funding to keep themselves going. More than that, he was the one who brought Peter into the superhero world. He had to keep the kid safe no matter what.

"Okay, let's have a look." He said, moving to Bruce's side

* * *

Peter usually didn't go to the Daily Bugle website, but Peter was on there today to see what he could do to try and impress his boss. One of the luxuries of being a freelance photographer for Jameson was that he only had to submit pictures once a week. He had the option of usually sending them in by email, but he figured that the walk would do him some good. Besides, it was also a chance to get a rare daytime patrol in as well. 

New York City had been quiet lately, which gave Peter more time to make up for missing a lot of decathlon the previous year, not to mention that he now had more time to actually get his schoolwork done. Recently, he'd been tutoring one Andy Maguire, a struggling student from a poor suburb who was only in Midtown High because of sheer determination. Peter admired that about Andy. It helped that both of them lived in Queens; so it was a lot easier to meet up. Andy was content to remain average and not fail; Peter had noticed that Andy's mind was often on other things. Oh, and then there was the fact that his parents had basically neglected him for years.

_He just doesn't try hard enough._ Peter thought.  _If he did, he'd be able to get off his ass and actually do something with his life instead of being the wast of space he is now . . . wait, did I just think that?_

Now that was disturbing. Why had he thought that?

He shook his head. He'd been out on patrol for a long time; some guy in a rhino suit had attacked a police station and he'd been a lot stronger than Peter had thought. Then he had to stop by Doctor Octavius' lab to help him out.

That was another thing that had happened a few days ago. Peter's work for the Daily Mail was freelance, and when Tony had said that one of his top scientists, Otto Octavius, was looking for a casual assistant, Peter had jumped at the chance. Only having to submit photos to the Bugle once a week made it a fairly easy matter for him to stop by the lab after school to help out, and it was only a couple of days per week. He hoped that he would be able to save enough money to help May pay off the bills each month. God nows she needed the help.

Peter sighed. Tony had actually offered to help them out, but both Parkers had baulked at the suggestion. They weren't about to use someone else's money to help them pay for what they used every month. That was their business and theirs alone. Another one of the lessons Uncle Ben had left them with, among others. May was struggling though, and hopefully Peter hoped that he would soon be in position to help her out. Between the freelance job at the  _Bugle_ and working as Octavius' lab assistant, he figured he wouldn't have to wait much longer.

He rubbed his eyes. He'd been looking at his computer screen for hours now, and the lack of sleep was beginning to tell on him. Surely one night not on patrol wouldn't do harm? Not with the city being this quiet lately?

He quickly changed and climbed into bed.

* * *

 "Peter, get up, you have to go to school!" He heard May shout. Peter checked his clock and his eyes widened. How come he didn't wake up? Had he really been that tired? Eh, probably. It had happened before. Thankfully, Morita was usually pretty understanding. He only hoped MJ would forgive him for missing the time they were supposed to walk together, same with Ned. He quickly put on his Spiderman suit, with the mask stuffed into his bag. As he was about to put his clothes on, the suit seemed to form clothes around him. Huh. Had Shuri programmed that into his new suit? He'd have to ask her at some point.

After quickly wolfing down two pieces of toast and glass of orange juice, Peter was out the door and running down the stairs. He didn't want to give his identity away by swinging out of the apartment in broad daylight during rush hour. He ran all the way to the train stop, and again through the grounds of the school, barely making it to class on time to be greeted by Ned, Liz, Harry and Kamala. MJ had apparently called in sick for the day; probably something to do with her father.

Perhaps Peter being forced awake was an omen, as during the free period he shared with Kamala and Harry, the Muslim girl went into her usual superhero fangirl mode. "Oh my God, did you guys see the news this morning? How Spiderman beat up that Marko guy in Central Park?"

Not for the first time around Kamala, Peter nearly did a spit-take. "W-what?" He asked. He hadn't been fighting anyone last night; he'd turned in early. Right?

"Really Pete?" Harry asked with a pure 'come on' face. "That Marko guy and two others had escaped their prison last night and were taking people hostage in Central Park. Spiderman swung in out of nowhere and rescued them."

"Yeah, out of nowhere! He just saved those people and left the criminals for the cops. It was a great inspiration for one of the fight scenes in my Spiderman fanfiction." She said. "Spidey vs The Lizard, AKA Doctor Curt Connors."

"Really, Kamala? You couldn't think of anything better?" Harry asked, smirking.

"Well . . . no. My brain's not the best when it comes to villain. The Lizard's plan is basically to release a chemcial cloud that mutates all of New York's citizens into lizards."

"That sounds like the dumbest idea I've ever heard."

"Let's see you do better, Osborn."

"Well you could have a guy who can turn into sand-"

"Spiderman would just hold his head to the side of a train." Kamala said. Peter could slowly feel himself tuning out though. He didn't remember being out last night.

So what the hell had happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we have our first hint that something is seriously wrong here. 
> 
> But as far as the characters introduced here are concerned, there are a few things you should know:
> 
> 1) Andy Maguire is a canon Marvel character; appearing during the Parker Industries run. He will be appearing in the future and will attain his powers in the future.
> 
> 2) Martin Li and Rhino are going to have prominent roles in the sequels. The mention of Rhino was intended to confim his existence here, same with Martin Li. 
> 
> 3) I do not intend to do anything with Flint Marko in this series. I included the reference mainly as fanservice, same with the Spider-Man 3 and Amazing Spider-Man references.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this first chapter! Be sure to leave kudos and a comment below if you enjoyed it. See you next time!


End file.
